A couple months ago, I tried to define what it meant to live a good life.

Lacking a measuring stick, I decided to make my own. First, I identified the areas or buckets in my life that I considered important. Second, I wrote down a list of examples of what it meant to thrive in each of these areas.

The result was a  list of over 100+ questions I could ask myself and use to chart a path to personal growth.

I showed it to a friend and he suggested I share it. By no means is it a conclusive list. Feel free to refine, edit and make it your own.

tl;dr Define what living well means to you. Build an “adulting” bucket-list. Have fun becoming the best version of yourself along the way. 

Here’s the list. Enjoy!

Health

• Do you get sufficient sleep every night?
• Do you set some “active motion” during your day?
• Do you eat a well-balanced diet?
• Do you limit the intake of alcohol, caffeine and other stimulants?
• Do you get outdoors, sunlight and fresh air?
• Do you get some “intense activity” such as sports or training?
• Do you practice some form of stretch or yoga?
• Do you ensure your angles and posture minimize strain?
• Do you wear comfortable attire that allows for free-range movement?
• Do you practice proactive maintenance? (blood-tests, eye tests, dentists)
• Do you eat at regular hours; keep your body in routine?

Mindfulness

• Do you go on ocassional, slow, long walks?
• Do you meditate regularly?
• Do you read books, ideas, and philosophy to inspire the mind?
• Do you write, journal, and essay to express your thoughts?
• Do you create ’empty space’ for deep thought?
• Do you retrospect, make the the to internalize your lessons and experiences?
• Do you enjoy the rhythm and melody of music; let it sway your soul?
• Do you practice gratitude daily?
• Do you encourage, receive or accept therapy?
• Do you enjoy time alone with yourself?

Principles and Values

• Do you explicitly state your intentions, act with purpose?
• Do you understand the intentions behind your thoughts and actions?
• Do you affirm your beliefs and bring them into existence?
• Do you understand what fulfills you?
• Do you have an internal set of principles, code, or WAY?
• Do you live your life according to an internal scorecard?
• Do your actions match your belief? Are they in harmony?
• Do you understand your value system?
• Do you understand how you derive your personal “sense of worth”?

Wealth

• Do you have a predictable, sufficient source of income?
• Do you predictable and reasonable expenses?
• Do you conserve capital? Does your income exceed your expenses?
• Do you have long-term goals with reasonable financial attainment?
• Do you have a plan to manage the preservation of your wealth?
• Do you understand the “Time Value of Money”?
• Do you understand the mechanics and impact of Inflation and Compound Interest?
• Do you set goals and targets for short-term liquidity?
• Do you identify opportunities for long-term gain?
• Do you manage your risk?
• Do you have rules or systems in place to automate your financial management?
• Do you expose yourself to low, mid, and high risk-return investments?
• Do you put your money to work for you?
• Do you have expert or professional guidance for your wealth management?
• Do you actively seek to “live with less”?
• Do you have a significant source of passive income?

Craft

• Have you learned to cook? Can you feed a partner, make a dinner?
• Do you understand how your car works?
• Can you survive in the wild? build a fire? fish? pick fruit?
• Can you handy? patch something up? fix a shelf?
• Can you play an instrument? entertain with a song?
• Can you tell a story? inspire awe, suspense and relief?
• Can you visualize, draw, sketch and fill in the blanks?
• Can you find your way? do you have a sense of direction?
• Can you argue an idea, pitch a thought, debate?
• Can you plant a garden? grow from the land?
• Can you wield your hands with the skill of an artisan?
• Have you built a sense of rugged resilience?
• Can you distinguish sensorial subtlety; flavour, surface and sound?

Career

• Have you built a skill or mastery in a subject?
• Can you operate with autonomy and independence?
• Can you collaborate, support, and contribute to others?
• Can you assess quality? Have you built judgement and criteria?
• Can you empathize with others? Understand their pains and desires?
• Can you communicate value, influence or persuade?
• Can you decompose, analyze, and solve a problem?
• Can you handle conflict and crisis with calm?
• Can you plan a future state and chart a path to get there?
• Can you proactively identify and mitigate risks/threats?
• Can you lead, organize and inspire a team?
• Can you lead at scale? Manage a team of teams?
• Can you develop others? Train, build their confidence and capacity?
• Can you identify, size, and seize opportunity?
• Can you build partnerships, alliances, and exponential relationships?
• Do you have a sense of value and how money is made?
• Do you understand market principles and economic fundamentals?
• Can you create focus and guide through vision?
• Can you institutionalize, operate, or automate at scale?
• Do your peers value and seek your support + advice?
• Are you actively working on developing your skillsets?
• Do you have a plan in place to guide your career advancement?

Tribe

• Do you have a “healthy” relationship with your parents?
• Do you have respectful and supportive relationships with your siblings?
• Do have a partner, best friend, or insider whom you can share the world with?
• Do you have friends to pass time, humor and enjoy?
• Do the people in your life raise you up? Encourage you to be your best self?
• Do you create moments of delight for others?
• Do you show appreciation for and encouragement to others?
• Do you connect or stay in touch with those that are distant?
• Do you actively nurture the relationships in your life? Do you water the plants?
• Do you look after someone? Actively care for or mentor?
• Do you have a guide? An advisor, coach or mentor?
• Do you engage with the senior? Enjoy their history and appreciate their legacy?
• Do you continuously build and protect your tribe?
• Are you someone others can trust, share with and depend on?
• Can you be your most authentic self around others?

Adventure / Spirit

• Do you enjoy trying new things?
• Have you ever gone on a “solo” adventure?
• Do you travel and explore new worlds?
• Do you thrill? Enjoy action-packed activities?
• Do you enjoy a good wander into the unknown?
• Do you ‘get out of the building’?
• Do you challenge yourself? Step beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone?
• Can you engage with a “healthy” intensity and competitive nature?
• Can you endure a loss, a shock, a failure with a sense of humility and gratitude?
• Do you engage your world with a sense of curiosity?
• Have you conquered a fear?
• Can you thrive under pressure?
• Do you make the most of the time, life, and experiences you are given?

Thanks for making it this far!

==> I gamified my personal growth bucket-list by making it easy to check-off accomplishments and level up.

Personal Growth Bucket-List <— Click to see it

That’s it for now. Cheers until next time!